Monkey See, Monkey Do

HOW STUPID IDEAS BECOME REAL.

- Bob Lutz

In the automotive industry, “new” is good. But is it always? I maintain that a lot of what we herald as the latest, greatest technological achievements turn out to be, in reality, expensive distractions of no inherent value.

If you wonder why car companies engage in one new technology or another, you’re not alone. The answers are complex and interrelated. Many bad ideas originate from a respected manufacturer. A competitor is then inclined to start a similar program of its own, believing that the rival is so wise and so farseeing, it couldn’t possibly be making a colossal mistake. Or a supplier tells them, in strictest confidence, that their most vicious, most feared competitor has just ordered this amazing new device, and they can have it, too!